Abakus FieldWork is a mobile work management system that makes work more fluent and easy to supervise in real time. One of the companies that has adopted this system is Lumon, with both the installers and their supervisors using it. Abakus has helped to automate routines and made planning easier.
When Lumon began planning a new work management system for installation
and maintenance staff, one of their objectives was improve the operating
processes. A key feature they wanted was better transparency by having
real-time information on where the field staff was located and what they were
doing. They also wanted the new system to make the monitoring of working hours
easier and more accurate.
Lumon weighed the options carefully and eventually decided on Optiscan. What tipped the balance in Optiscan's favour was how they understood Lumon's specific needs, in addition to providing an easy user interface. The crucial factor was that the terminal device was a smartphone, which practically everyone has in his pocket. And the Android-based user interface is intuitive, requiring very little training.Another factor that affected Lumon's choice was that Optiscan's Abakus Warehouse system had been used successfully at Lumon's main warehouse in Kouvola for the management of warehouse operations.
Information in real time on your mobile
The benefits of Lumon's Abakus FieldWork are obvious: all information is available on a mobile phone in real time, both for the management and the installers. This means that the installers can go directly to the work site in the morning, and simply update information throughout the day. The installer's working hours and other data affecting their pay-such as the mileage between sites-are collected in the Abakus system and automatically transferred to background systems.Installers simply check that their working hour entries are correct, and then submit them to their supervisor for approval. This integration with Lumon's ERP and payroll systems is implemented with an ESB integration service that is part of the Abakus system.
Abakus also enables FieldWork field staff to provide qualitative feedback online, to report safety deviations, and make initiatives. The feedback system sends a message to the staff that occupational safety and continuous development are the cornerstones of Lumon's operations.
Sales orders are entered into the sales system, making them instantly available to supervisors in the Abakus system, meaning that there is more time to plan the installation work. Individual work stages can be allocated to available resources, and automation of operations will eliminate errors.
The visual project calendar contains all information. Always.
Installers can easily see the jobs allocated to them in the Abakus system, enabling them to plan their day more efficiently. All work data is updated in the supervisor's visual project calendar, giving an idea of the big picture at a glance. Any changes in the work situation will be updated in real time into the calendar.Routine steps are automated, improving delivery reliability and allowing installers to concentrate more on their core work. Working becomes more efficient but also more pleasant.
The greatest benefit from the Abakus system is the real-time information on the delivery process. Everyone from installer to supervisor is aware which jobs the company has and which of them are in progress or completed.
For global use
The Abakus system was first used in Finland in installation companies. Soon there were users in Sweden and Norway, too. The newest countries to adopt the system are Spain and Canada, where the launch took place flexibly. Technically speaking, adding a new country is simple, and the only things that are really required are system localisation and user training. Your familiar smartphone, being able to use own language and the intuitive user interface make it easy to use the system. Lumon Group operates in 20 countries, so expanding the system to ever more countries should not present any problems.